[drewactual]

Howdy-
I am new to all of this and hope to get some free advice. I would guess it is a fairly common subject, but please forgive me for being new and asking anyway.
I have a 01 Jekyll 1000 w/ titanium lefty and coda four bolt disc brakes. My LBS informed me it will be around 600 bucks to do the brake upgrade and though I didn't say anything I thought BS. I will not bore you with the details, but it was total BS full of holes, and enough for me to leave his store for good.
Anyway, I have a complete set of avid5 mech disc including mounted disc's/wheels. I figure that will be fairly painless to swap. I am a little worried about the fork though- first off the lefty is nice and all, but the problems with the c-dale specific hubs and such have driven me nuts... I wanna reduce it to 1 1/8" so I can dump it all together. What is the right way of doing this? Are there any considerations when using the adapters? What are some of the issues I will face when I tackle this critter? And lastly- once the head has been properly reduced to 1 1/8" can I use any industry standard fork? And other than the rear Jekyll specific shock, is there anything else on that bike c-dale specific? If what I intend on doing doesn't eliminate the c-dale crap, I may just dump the whole bike while I am still ahead (well, not any more behind!)
I really would like to get the jekyll back on the trail with as little effort as possible. I don't want to go back to c-dale in the future asking for their specific parts again, and will not go back to that bike shop hellorhighwater. ANY suggestions would be nice. Thanks all!

 

[phillyGTA]

Jekyll Rebuilt

Yes the pre-03 4 bolts hubs were a pain when you want to replace you brakes , but don't throw away the Ti-lefty just because of the hub , search Ebay , you can get a regular 6 bolts lefty hubs for 20-30 bucks or buy a 6 bolts front wheel and sell your old one to cover the cost , or if you are lucky , you can find a 4 bolts rotors on Ebay for your avid brakes , as long as they are the same size , they will work just fine.

But if you really want to put a regular fork , just buy a 1/18 adopter , most Cannondale dealer carrier them , then you can put anything on , but I seriously doubt anything below a $ 1000 these days can compare to the lefty in stiffness , weight , and the most important , rasor sharp handling , plus you ti lefty DLR has a air , spring adjustment , reboud dial and on top of all that , it lockout too ! To get anything removely near the lefty performance , you will be looking at a steep bill just for the fork.

good luck and ride on.. ; )

QUOTE=drewactual]Howdy-
I am new to all of this and hope to get some free advice. I would guess it is a fairly common subject, but please forgive me for being new and asking anyway.
I have a 01 Jekyll 1000 w/ titanium lefty and coda four bolt disc brakes. My LBS informed me it will be around 600 bucks to do the brake upgrade and though I didn't say anything I thought BS. I will not bore you with the details, but it was total BS full of holes, and enough for me to leave his store for good.
Anyway, I have a complete set of avid5 mech disc including mounted disc's/wheels. I figure that will be fairly painless to swap. I am a little worried about the fork though- first off the lefty is nice and all, but the problems with the c-dale specific hubs and such have driven me nuts... I wanna reduce it to 1 1/8" so I can dump it all together. What is the right way of doing this? Are there any considerations when using the adapters? What are some of the issues I will face when I tackle this critter? And lastly- once the head has been properly reduced to 1 1/8" can I use any industry standard fork? And other than the rear Jekyll specific shock, is there anything else on that bike c-dale specific? If what I intend on doing doesn't eliminate the c-dale crap, I may just dump the whole bike while I am still ahead (well, not any more behind!)
I really would like to get the jekyll back on the trail with as little effort as possible. I don't want to go back to c-dale in the future asking for their specific parts again, and will not go back to that bike shop hellorhighwater. ANY suggestions would be nice. Thanks all![/QUOTE]

 

[drewactual]

Yes the pre-03 4 bolts hubs were a pain when you want to replace you brakes , but don't throw away the Ti-lefty just because of the hub , search Ebay , you can get a regular 6 bolts lefty hubs for 20-30 bucks or buy a 6 bolts front wheel and sell your old one to cover the cost , or if you are lucky , you can find a 4 bolts rotors on Ebay for your avid brakes , as long as they are the same size , they will work just fine.

I will miss the lefty, but it is no longer worth the bother- my main interest is getting the whole bike less dependent on c-dale specific parts. The only other option I will entertain at this point is dumping it for another. It is amazing the effect a retailer has on impressions of a manufacturer... I have two extra rear shocks for the thing, one just rebuilt by Fox. I have a front wheel that needs to be trued- I could do it myself but I have found I have no talent for it- and the LBS wants $50 for it- (same dude). He also said it would be several weeks to do it... He is the only c-dale dealer in this area, and though others are real proud of him I can't find a redeeming quality one... Thanks for your input, I am currently scouring the web for reducers- does anyone have any issues with the cranes bro's model? The price on those things (same model) run from $30 to $100- is there something I am missing except for the short model? Thanks again.

 

[phillyGTA]

$ 50 to ture a wheel ! You are absolutely right about this shop , they are definately ripping ppl off big time !! Hey, but if you are riding disc , just let it rip , it won't hurt if the wheel is a little wobblely , that part of the reason we ride disc on MTB then rim clincher.

oh, saw a NEW Cannondale headset reducer on Ebay today , going for $28.50 buy it now option. You should check it out. If you want to try bidding , you may get it cheaper then that . I think you can get 3-400 bucks for your Ti Lefty on Ebay, good luck !

I will miss the lefty, but it is no longer worth the bother- my main interest is getting the whole bike less dependent on c-dale specific parts. The only other option I will entertain at this point is dumping it for another. It is amazing the effect a retailer has on impressions of a manufacturer... I have two extra rear shocks for the thing, one just rebuilt by Fox. I have a front wheel that needs to be trued- I could do it myself but I have found I have no talent for it- and the LBS wants $50 for it- (same dude). He also said it would be several weeks to do it... He is the only c-dale dealer in this area, and though others are real proud of him I can't find a redeeming quality one... Thanks for your input, I am currently scouring the web for reducers- does anyone have any issues with the cranes bro's model? The price on those things (same model) run from $30 to $100- is there something I am missing except for the short model? Thanks again.[/QUOTE]

 

[Trabso]

I don't know what brake upgrade your LBS was doing, but both Hope and Magura still make 4 bolt rotors.

 

[drewactual]

I don't know what brake upgrade your LBS was doing, but both Hope and Magura still make 4 bolt rotors.

I was going to spare the details about the shop, but he called one of his parts distributors while I was standing there, on his cordless. the volume was real loud, and I guess he thought I was deaf or something. I heard the salesperson on the other end say the kit complete with rotors included were $120. I used to own a retail business, and understand the need to make money, but it is my opinion that more than keystone (50GM, or 100% mark-up, cost him 10 so it sells for 20) is a rip-off in all but a very few select industries. I don't mind paying for something if I figure it is worth it- strike a balance right? But don't try to screw me and expect me to smile. Since I was still in this guys presence I kept quiet- but my co-worker who was there with me (was there during lunch hour, and my co-worker has two interesting qualities- first he isn't a biker and is entertained with the amounts of money I am willing to spend, and second he is from Texas which means he doesn't entertain BS quietly) anyways, he was about to bust!! he had heard it too I found out later..

The guy proceeded telling me it was the only option. When I told him $600 was out of the question he said there was another option for $400- well I heard that option too from the same source he did moments earlier. I refused that too. I am a fool though, and with my money I soon part- he convinced me it was the fault of the caliper, but not to worry- though Coda are no longer available he had an extra set complete he would sell me...used of course. $50 and hours later I realized they were both busted and stripped on the inner side- leaked like a sieve. There is no doubt he knew this because there was two layers of thread tape on them. I called him about a week later to ask about trueing the wheel, without anouncing who I was. Quote: $50 and at least two weeks. He had a new wheelset available now though for a mere $500, and could have it in a couple days.

I long for the days of the old playground. I'd whip this dudes ass hardcore and take detention with a smile.

Back to the original question though- Does anyone have a link to give me details on how to do this mod? and what other parts will I need? I'd rather crash at 40mph into a boulder holding my bars in front of me like a lance unattached to the frame before I set foot in this guys shop again.

I feel a little better after the vent!

 

[MendonCycleSmith]

May I weigh in on this? First, your LBS sounds like a first class tool, I'll be the first to admit. However, based on what you said, $120 would be per wheel, not both. That said, $240 (Keystoned) times 2 would be $480, plus labor (at 50 bucks a true, $120 to install discs is cheap!) you get 6 bills. So, it's an honest ripoff, not a criminal one! That said, why the negative attitude about Cannondale proprietary stuff? A lefty hub is just a bearing holder, same as a King, Hugi etc. Woodman make a fine one, if you just can't abide by the big C. And with all due respect, if your mechanical aptitude does not allow you to true a wheel, do you feel you're going to overhaul a Fox or Marzocchi yourself? So you will still need service at some point, and the Lefty is a great fork, which you already own. There are folks all over that do not have local LBS to service their Lefties, they send them to various places that do this, all the time. 88+ in Europe is a good source(if you're there), Cannondale does a good job, and shops like mine do them "mailorder" too, all are fast turnaround and quality service. Dump the ripoff dude ($50 a true? give me a fu*#ing break!) But the adapters end up creating more frame noise alot of times, and if your frame is made for a Lefty, use it! If you have not spent $ yet, as someone else said, there are 160mm 4 bolt rotors out there, which will be fine with 95% of available brakes. Just get a front one, to deal with the lefty hub, and get whatever you like for a rear hub/wheel. My two cents, but it seems you are throwing out the baby with the bathwater!

 

[Trabso]

If you wanted to replace your front wheel complete with a new 6 bolt hub, I herar these guys build great wheels.link

 

[drewactual]

mendoncycle- yeah, it may have been $120 a wheel- I will keep that in mind in order to redeem my opinion of bike shop owners..(kidding, I realize most in the trade are likely of high integrity)- I am not afraid how to learn how to do something, which is the case of the trueing. I just have never seen it done nor tried until this one.....oh yeah, the shop installing the things on the bike was to cost more- as in not included in the cost quoted. Said he would tell me how to do it if I bought them and it would only take a couple minutes. (to tell me)

Anyway I am very frustrated with the shop, but regret opening that line of discussion all the same. ..I am highly pissed but I will try to keep that out of the conversation from here out...Please forgive me the folly.

So the adapters make a lot of rattles do they? Stupid question: Does this mean they are not fitting within the tolorance expected? If that is so it tells me there will be considerable weakness at that joint, right? I am dumping the lefty- that is all there is to it- If you want I will post a link to it on ebay when I get this project completed, but it is definatly going away... I just would like to do some more recon on what parts and tools I need to do it right.

I thank you guys for your input-

 

[MendonCycleSmith]

mendoncycle- yeah, it may have been $120 a wheel- I will keep that in mind in order to redeem my opinion of bike shop owners..(kidding, I realize most in the trade are likely of high integrity)- I am not afraid how to learn how to do something, which is the case of the trueing. I just have never seen it done nor tried until this one.....oh yeah, the shop installing the things on the bike was to cost more- as in not included in the cost quoted. Said he would tell me how to do it if I bought them and it would only take a couple minutes. (to tell me)

Anyway I am very frustrated with the shop, but regret opening that line of discussion all the same. ..I am highly pissed but I will try to keep that out of the conversation from here out...Please forgive me the folly.

So the adapters make a lot of rattles do they? Stupid question: Does this mean they are not fitting within the tolorance expected? If that is so it tells me there will be considerable weakness at that joint, right? I am dumping the lefty- that is all there is to it- If you want I will post a link to it on ebay when I get this project completed, but it is definatly going away... I just would like to do some more recon on what parts and tools I need to do it right.

I thank you guys for your input-

Hey, we all get crabby from time to time=The main issue with the adapters is this, you put an adapter into the frame, then put a headset into it. This gives water and grit 4 different places to get into, and creak, squeak etc. If you wish to do what your thinking, be aware of that, it's not weak, just will need periodic removal, cleaning and greasing. Someone will be sure to tell you about the 1.5 external/1 1/8 internal Cane Creek/FSA deals, no go. They have a deeper press than your frame will allow, so you have to do the adapter approach. Too bad on the Lefty.......Ride hard

 

[Mt. Biker]

Cane Creek makes a headset that fits C-dales so you can use any standard 1-1/8" fork, works great, I have one on my Rush. It sounds like others are talking about adapters that let you use a standard headset thus making them noisier, the one from Cane Creek is not an adapter and doesn't give any extra places for grit and stuff to get in than any other headset, it is just a regular headset that is supersized to fill the big ol hole in the C-dale bikes.

Nevermind, I just read the post above mine, the one I have won't work for you, so I guess it's the addapter route.